That's 132 new cards, to be exact. The Grand Tournament is Hearthstone's latest expansion, due to hit in August with 132 new cards, plus fresh spells and weapons. It also introduces a new keyword -- a special attribute attached to certain cards -- called Inspire, which adds attack and spell boosts to some plays. Plus, the game board gets a revamp with tournament tents and competition grounds. The Grand Tournament comes at a price, of course: These card packs will be available for in-game gold or real money at the same price as standard packs, ranging from 100 gold for one pack and $3 for two packs, all the way to $50 for 40 packs. There's a pre-purchase price of $50 for 50 Grand Tournament card packs to be unsealed on launch day. The expansion launches sometime in August across iOS, Android, PC and Mac. Ready your decks, champions.

Hearthstone, the massively popular digital card game from Blizzard, is getting a new mode that pits players against each other, one-on-one, in weekly battles with special rules. The mode is called Tavern Brawl and it's due to launch in mid-June. Tavern Brawl allows players to battle strangers or friends, though only for a limited time each week. "One week might feature preset decks, while another week could have you crafting a brand new Tavern Brawl deck following specific guidelines, while others might offer buffs to specific minion types—who knows!" Blizzard writes.

Keith Lee and his partner Emil Anticevic have some serious gaming cred on their resumes. Lee was one of the project leaders on Diablo 3 and Anticevic is responsible in part for the cloud based technology that makes League of Legends work. Together they formed Counterplay Games, the studio currently developing an intriguing mashup called Duelyst. Halfway between Final Fantasy Tactics and Hearthstone, Duelyst blends card gaming with the spatial manipulation of tactical role-playing and tops it off with some truly fetching art. At 3:30PM ET/12:30PM PT we're going to stream an alpha version of Duelyst alongside Lee himself on JXE Streams.

There goes your hope of staying productive at work. Blizzard has updated Hearthstone for Android and iOS to support smartphones, so you can indulge in its Warcraft-themed free-to-play card gaming while you're stuck in your cubicle. You shouldn't lose any content in the translation, but there's an "all-new" interface designed for smaller screens. Just be sure to exercise some restraint -- it could be tempting to squeeze in one more round before that big meeting.

Players in Crimea can no longer access Battle.net, the service that houses Blizzard games World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, Hearthstone and others, The Moscow Times reports. Blizzard blocked its games in response to US sanctions against Crimea -- Google, Apple, PayPal and Valve have also suspended service to the region, the site says. The Moscow Times pulled its Blizzard report from Russian site Geektimes.ru, which published an email sent to Crimean Battle.net users. "In accordance with current trade regulations relating to the region of Crimea, we are legally required to suspend access to your Battle.net account," a translation reads.

Recently picked up a Nexus 9 but you're still jealous of your iPad-toting pals because they can play Blizzard's Warcraft-themed card game? Well, relax because Hearthstone is coming to Android tablets (and early next year, phones). It's launching in waves, according to the publisher, starting with a roll out in Australia, Canada and New Zealand ahead of a worldwide release in a few days. And as a way to reward your patience -- the game initially launched back in April -- Blizzard is giving away a free pack of Classic Cards. Just finish a game in any mode and, well, you'll have some new cards to use. You don't even have to win! Perhaps even better? If you're coming in from another platform, your card collection and progress will transfer over to Google's mobile OS. Oh, and in case you want a peek inside the brains of a few of the folks who work on the game, check out this Reddit AMA from earlier today.

Update (12/16): And here it is -- we're not sure about the rest of the world, but Hearthstone is available on Google Play in the US.

Blizzard's best-known for its RTS franchises and insanely popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, not to mention the Diablo series. With fans of the publisher's prior work kept sated and docile by sequels and expansions, Blizzard's turned some of its attention to other genres, like the early stage MOBA Heroes of the Storm, and the card-based game we're talking about here: Hearthstone. Hear the words "card game," and it's hard not to think of the deep mechanics of Magic: The Gathering that may appear inhospitable to newcomers, like starting to watch LOST half-way through the third series. One of Hearthstone's main strengths, however, is accessibility.

Were you hoping for a single-player campaign in Blizzard's Warcraft-themed card game, Hearthstone? Well, you're getting one. The outfit's announced Curse of Naxxramas at PAX East, and, in addition to fresh challenges and more than an entire deck's worth of shiny cards, there's a new Adventure mode en route for solo players. As Joystiq has noticed, Naxxramas also features a new game-board based on Warcraft's floating necropolis of the same name. The first area, subtly named Arachnid Quarter (gee, wonder what's lurking in there?), is free for everyone and will roll out simultaneously across iPad, Mac and PC sometime later this year. If you want to complete the expansion's other successive areas as they release, you'll have to buy-in either with in-game gold or your hard-earned meat-space ducats. Still not sure what the hype is about? Well, the game doesn't cost a thing, so there really isn't much risk in giving it a shot for yourself. It'd probably be a good idea to start practicing ahead of Naxxramas' ambiguous release date, anyhow.

Blizzard hasn't really had a presence in mobile gaming... not unless you think the Battle.net Authenticator is rip-roaring entertainment, anyway. However, the developer is giving the category an honest try today by releasing Hearthstone for the iPad. Much like on the desktop, the free-to-play card game lets you fight both real and virtual opponents as you build up a collection of Warcraft-themed minions and spells. Decks sync between devices, so you won't have to start from scratch. The title is currently available on the App Store in Australia, Canada and New Zealand; more countries are coming soon, and those using Android, iPhones and Windows tablets can also expect to play in the near future. The iPad app isn't likely to replicate the off-the-charts success of Blizzard's PC titles, but the company has to start somewhere. And besides, we've seen the problems that some major game producers have faced after downplaying the importance of phones and tablets -- Blizzard may be wise to cover its bases.